9 Money Truths I Wish I Had Known at 25 (from a 40-Year-Old Millionaire)

I had two millionaire real estate investors visit Maui last week. So naturally, we sat down and recorded a podcast.Craig Curelop (house hacking legend, founder of The FI Team) and Mike Brockway (luxury short-term rental expert) joined Cam and me to talk about the single pieces of advice that completely changed our financial trajectories.Here's what's wild: none of us became millionaires because we worked harder. We became millionaires because someone gave us advice that shifted how we thought about building wealth.In this episode:The BiggerPockets forum post that changed my entire life (and why I still have it printed out 20 years later)Why the "bucket vs. pipeline" story from Cashflow Quadrant made me a MULTI-millionaireCraig's house hacking journey and why "living like no one else" is more than just frugalityMike's short-term rental empire and the power of getting around the right peopleCam's BRRRR breakthrough (and why it doesn't work the same way in 2026)The difference between advice that makes you a millionaire vs. advice that makes you a MULTI-millionaireWhy systems beat hustle every single timeHow to surround yourself with people who make the impossible look like a Tuesday morningThe thread throughout this entire conversation? None of this was complicated. But it required us to actually listen and implement instead of just nodding our heads.REI Summit 2026 is happening April 1–3 in Austin, Texas. Grab your ticket at REISUMMIT2026.com and use code CAM10 for 10% off.Connect with Craig Curelop: https://www.instagram.com/thefiguy/?hl=enConnect with Mike Brockway: https://www.instagram.com/mikebrockway_/?hl=en🧔‍♂️ WHO AM I? My name is Brandon Turner! I teach people how to BUILD WEALTH WITHOUT LOSING THEIR SOUL through real estate investing!1️⃣ WANT TO GET YOUR FIRST DEAL? https://go.abetterlife.com/fd_yt_landing 📈 WANT TO SCALE YOUR EXISTING PORTFOLIO? https://go.abetterlife.com/blt_yt_landing 🤝 CONNECT WITH ME ON INSTAGRAM https://go.abetterlife.com/bb_yt_instagram 📚 READ ONE OF MY BOOKS https://go.abetterlife.com/bb_yt_storefront ❌ DISCLAIMER https://go.abetterlife.com/bb_yt_disclaimer

This episode has no agenda… and that’s why it works!We bounce from ADUs and co-living to 2026 goal-setting to the rarely discussed reality of working with your spouse, not because we planned to, but because these topics are quietly connected by the same question: How do you design a life that actually works?What starts as a practical conversation about housing flexibility turns into a bigger discussion about tradeoffs—space, money, time, ambition, and relationships. We talk about why some “smart” ideas fall apart in real life, why certain goals lose their appeal as your life changes, and why mixing marriage and business can either sharpen everything… or expose every crack.If you like real conversations that don’t fit into neat buckets, make sure to hit FOLLOW 🔔Know someone thinking about ADUs, co-living, or working with their spouse? Send this to them.🧔‍♂️ WHO AM I? My name is Brandon Turner! I teach people how to BUILD WEALTH WITHOUT LOSING THEIR SOUL through real estate investing!1️⃣ WANT TO GET YOUR FIRST DEAL? https://go.abetterlife.com/fd_yt_landing 📈 WANT TO SCALE YOUR EXISTING PORTFOLIO? https://go.abetterlife.com/blt_yt_landing 🤝 CONNECT WITH ME ON INSTAGRAM https://go.abetterlife.com/bb_yt_instagram 📚 READ ONE OF MY BOOKS https://go.abetterlife.com/bb_yt_storefront ❌ DISCLAIMER https://go.abetterlife.com/bb_yt_disclaimer

At 24, I was broke and stuck. I was doing everything I thought I should be doing—but nothing was working.Then I started spending time with actual millionaires. And I realized something: they weren't successful because of what they did. They were successful because of what they stopped doing.So I started eliminating behaviors that kept me broke. Combined with the right actions, I became a millionaire.In this episode, I'm breaking down the exact behaviors you need to eliminate if you want to break out of being stuck and broke.Fair warning: if you get triggered at any point, good. That means you needed to hear it.Millionaire-level growth doesn't come from comfort. It comes from confronting the parts of your life you've been avoiding.In this episode:Stop waiting for motivation (discipline beats feelings)Stop hanging with people who don't want moreStop spending like you're already richStop blaming your circumstancesStop consuming junk (food, media, information)Stop negotiating with your weaknessStop expecting overnight success…and 13 more behaviors that keep you brokeNone of this is complicated. But it requires you to actually stop—not just nod your head and keep doing the same thing.🧔‍♂️ WHO AM I? My name is Brandon Turner! I teach people how to BUILD WEALTH WITHOUT LOSING THEIR SOUL through real estate investing!1️⃣ WANT TO GET YOUR FIRST DEAL? https://go.abetterlife.com/fd_yt_landing📈 WANT TO SCALE YOUR EXISTING PORTFOLIO? https://go.abetterlife.com/blt_yt_landing🤝 CONNECT WITH ME ON INSTAGRAM https://go.abetterlife.com/bb_yt_instagram📚 READ ONE OF MY BOOKS https://go.abetterlife.com/bb_yt_storefront❌ DISCLAIMER https://go.abetterlife.com/bb_yt_disclaimer

We did something different this week. We took our weekly Bottleneck Breakthrough call with 25 tribe members and recorded it live as a podcast episode.Real questions. Real answers. No scripts.In this live Q&A session with Cam Cathcart, we answer:What market dynamics should I look for to start co-living/room rentals?How do I get my Virtual Assistant to actually help me scale my business?How do I buy 11+ properties with seller financing without going broke?What's the best strategy for finding off-market deals in 2025?How do I organize corporate formalities and LLC meeting minutes?BIGGEST TAKEAWAY: Your business is just a collection of processes. Define them. Hand them to people who crush at that type of work. Scale.🧔‍♂️ WHO AM I?My name is Brandon Turner! I teach people how to BUILD WEALTH WITHOUT LOSING THEIR SOUL through real estate investing!1️⃣ WANT TO GET YOUR FIRST DEAL?https://go.abetterlife.com/fd_yt_landing 📈 WANT TO SCALE YOUR EXISTING PORTFOLIO?https://go.abetterlife.com/blt_yt_landing 🤝 CONNECT WITH ME ON INSTAGRAMhttps://go.abetterlife.com/bb_yt_instagram📚 READ ONE OF MY BOOKShttps://go.abetterlife.com/bb_yt_storefront ❌ DISCLAIMERhttps://go.abetterlife.com/bb_yt_disclaimer

Pedro Adao went from begging God to kill him to building a $50 million business.And it wasn't because he worked harder. It was because he stopped doing business like everyone else and started doing it God's way.In this episode, Pedro breaks down what actually happened during his bankruptcy, why he hired a mentor when he couldn't afford groceries, and how he doubled his income the same year he gave himself a 40% pay cut.We also get into the stuff most people won't talk about: Why most pastors shouldn't be pastors. How to know if you're building wealth for the right reasons. What God actually thinks about money.This conversation went deep. If you've ever felt conflicted about making money as a believer, you need to hear this.🔗 JOIN THE 31 DAY WISDOM CHALLENGE: 31daywisdomchallenge.com🧔‍♂️ WHO AM I?My name is Brandon Turner! I teach people how to BUILD WEALTH WITHOUT LOSING THEIR SOUL through real estate investing!1️⃣ WANT TO GET YOUR FIRST DEAL?https://go.abetterlife.com/fd_yt_landing 📈 WANT TO SCALE YOUR EXISTING PORTFOLIO?https://go.abetterlife.com/blt_yt_landing 🤝 CONNECT WITH ME ON INSTAGRAMhttps://go.abetterlife.com/bb_yt_instagram📚 READ ONE OF MY BOOKShttps://go.abetterlife.com/bb_yt_storefront ❌ DISCLAIMERhttps://go.abetterlife.com/bb_yt_disclaimer

At 24, I was dead broke. My wife and I had no money despite working hard and trying to do everything right.That moment changed everything. I realized I didn't have a money problem. I had a money ignorance problem.So I decided to actually learn how money works. Fast forward to 40: I'm financially free with over a billion dollars in real estate and millions in net worth.But here's the truth: it didn't have to take this long. If someone had told me these 9 rules at 25, I would've hit financial freedom way faster.In this episode:Build an emergency fund before a lifestyleDon't finance what you can't pay off that monthBuy assets, not liabilitiesMaster a rare, valuable skillTrack every dollarSeparate time from moneyKeep your lifestyle below your incomeOnly take advice from people whose life you'd trade forResults come from what you repeatedly doNone of this is complicated. Follow these rules consistently and wealth becomes unavoidable.🧔‍♂️ WHO AM I?My name is Brandon Turner! I teach people how to BUILD WEALTH WITHOUT LOSING THEIR SOUL through real estate investing!1️⃣ WANT TO GET YOUR FIRST DEAL?https://go.abetterlife.com/fd_yt_landing 📈 WANT TO SCALE YOUR EXISTING PORTFOLIO?https://go.abetterlife.com/blt_yt_landing 🤝 CONNECT WITH ME ON INSTAGRAMhttps://go.abetterlife.com/bb_yt_instagram📚 READ ONE OF MY BOOKShttps://go.abetterlife.com/bb_yt_storefront ❌ DISCLAIMERhttps://go.abetterlife.com/bb_yt_disclaimer

👇 Watch the full keynote and grab the resources🎟️ REI Summit 2026: https://www.reisummit2026.com💲Save 10% on your tickets with code “POD10”🌐 More Better Life resources: https://betterliferef.comThis is the full keynote I gave at the 2025 REI Summit in Austin.It’s a story about the real journey most real estate investors go through.Getting stuck in a job.Trying to break free.Messing it up.Getting scared.Wanting to go back to safety.I walk through a story about ancient Egypt, the Red Sea, the wilderness, and the promised land, and how closely that mirrors the path from a 9-to-5 into real freedom.I also talk about:Why most people get trapped building someone else’s empireWhy early mistakes hurt so much and why they’re normalThe Red Sea moment every investor hits when quitting or scalingWhy so many people stop right before things actually workComfort, fear, and why growth always feels uncomfortableWhy you should climb the mountain simply because it’s thereIf you’re stuck in a job you can’t stand, or you’re already in real estate but feel like you've stalled out, you might like this one.🧔‍♂️ WHO AM I?My name is Brandon Turner! I teach people how to BUILD WEALTH WITHOUT LOSING THEIR SOUL through real estate investing!1️⃣ WANT TO GET YOUR FIRST DEAL?https://go.abetterlife.com/fd_yt_landing 📈 WANT TO SCALE YOUR EXISTING PORTFOLIO?https://go.abetterlife.com/blt_yt_landing 🤝 CONNECT WITH ME ON INSTAGRAMhttps://go.abetterlife.com/bb_yt_instagram📚 READ ONE OF MY BOOKShttps://go.abetterlife.com/bb_yt_storefront ❌ DISCLAIMERhttps://go.abetterlife.com/bb_yt_disclaimer

👇Get the tools we talked about in this episode🏠 First Deal: https://www.firstdeal.com🎟️ REI Summit 2026: https://www.reisummit2026.com🌐 More resources from BetterLife: https://betterliferef.comTwo entrepreneurs. Years of mistakes. A stack of wins. And a list of rules they wish someone had handed them long before things finally clicked.Brandon and Cam sit down after a marathon stretch of Thanksgiving, birthday parties, flights, and jet lag to strip business down to the essentials. This episode breaks down the eleven rules that keep real businesses alive. The rules that help you move faster, think clearer, and build something that holds up when the economy decides to wobble.Along the way, they pull back the curtain on the complexities of mobile home parks, co-living models, land development, Class A rentals, and conducting time audits. They explore the unexpected comfort found in defining your own challenges, the true hurdles behind seven-figure revenue, and the vital difference between high revenue and actual profit.These are the exact rules that powered the creation of their multiple companies—and the rules they rely on every single day.👇Books that came up in the conversation:📘 Traction by Gino Wickman - ⁠ https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71lELYG7IgL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg⁠📗 Vivid Vision by Cameron Herold - ⁠https://m.media-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1520122317i/38922562.jpg⁠📈 The 4 Disciplines of Execution by Chris McChesney⁠ - https://www.franklincovey.com/the-4-disciplines/🧔‍♂️ WHO AM I?My name is Brandon Turner! I teach people how to BUILD WEALTH WITHOUT LOSING THEIR SOUL through real estate investing!1️⃣ WANT TO GET YOUR FIRST DEAL?https://go.abetterlife.com/fd_yt_landing 📈 WANT TO SCALE YOUR EXISTING PORTFOLIO?https://go.abetterlife.com/blt_yt_landing 🤝 CONNECT WITH ME ON INSTAGRAMhttps://go.abetterlife.com/bb_yt_instagram📚 READ ONE OF MY BOOKShttps://go.abetterlife.com/bb_yt_storefront ❌ DISCLAIMERhttps://go.abetterlife.com/bb_yt_disclaimer

Is AI about to END real estate investing as we know it? Brandon and Cam explore how AI is already changing their day-to-day work—and why you have maybe 5 years left to build wealth the traditional way before the big boys like BlackRock and Blackstone take over.Then things get WILD.In this unfiltered episode, we dive into:- The Epstein files and what's actually happening- Candace Owens: Conspiracy theorist or truth-teller?- Big Pharma, the food pyramid lie, and why nicotine isn't what you think- Social media manipulation and who's really pulling the strings- Algorithms and why sensationalism wins (and how we're all guilty)Plus: Spencer Robbins crashes the recording to discuss social media addiction, spiritual warfare, and the George Soros agenda.⚠️ WARNING: This gets controversial. We discuss politics, religion, and conspiracies most people avoid. If you want safe real estate content, skip this one. But if you want RAW, unfiltered conversation… this is it.🙏SPONSORSTurboTenant: Market your rental, screen tenants, and collect rent… all in one place! Use the code BRANDON10 to get 10% off upon sign-up here:https://www.turbotenant.com/partners/better-life/?utm_source=betterlife&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_content=brandonturner-organic or check out all of their incredible FREE resources for landlords at https://www.turbotenant.com/Landlord-Toolbox/

👇Get the free tools mentioned in this episode:📲Cashflow Isn’t Dead E-Book: DM “FRINGE” to @beardybrandon on Instagram📨5-Day Deal Analysis Challenge: DM “5DC” to @beardybrandon on Instagram⚠️Join our annual Goal Setting Workshop and map out your best year yet: https://betterlifegoalsetting.com/ 🌐 BetterLife REF Lending: https://betterliferef.com/Ever look at real estate investors who hit financial freedom in a few years instead of 40 and wonder, "What did they know that I don't?"This episode is Brandon and Cam's answer to that. We're breaking down the exact 12-step blueprint that we would use to get to $10,000, $15,000, $20,000 a month or more in passive/rental income in just a few years, starting from scratch today. This is what works, and what Cam and I figured out has worked in our businesses.If you are sick of dabbling and just limping along on your journey towards financial freedom, and you want to actually build a rental portfolio that will change your life, this is that playbook. Stick around, this might be the roadmap you've been waiting for.🙏SPONSORSTurboTenant: Market your rental, screen tenants, and collect rent… all in one place! Use the code BRANDON10 to get 10% off upon sign-up https://www.turbotenant.com/partners/better-life/?utm_source=betterlife&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_content=brandonturner-organic or check out all of their incredible FREE resources for landlords at https://www.turbotenant.com/Landlord-Toolbox/🧔‍♂️ WHO AM I?My name is Brandon Turner! I teach people how to BUILD WEALTH WITHOUT LOSING THEIR SOUL through real estate investing!1️⃣ WANT TO GET YOUR FIRST DEAL?https://go.abetterlife.com/fd_yt_landing 📈 WANT TO SCALE YOUR EXISTING PORTFOLIO?https://go.abetterlife.com/blt_yt_landing 🤝 CONNECT WITH ME ON INSTAGRAMhttps://go.abetterlife.com/bb_yt_instagram📚 READ ONE OF MY BOOKShttps://go.abetterlife.com/bb_yt_storefront ❌ DISCLAIMERhttps://go.abetterlife.com/bb_yt_disclaimer